On March 4, 2018, the 90th Academy Awards began at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time (8:00 p.m. Eastern) live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. This evergreen reference explains the scheduled start, local time conversions, and how to watch on ABC across U.S. time zones. It also covers red carpet timing, pre-show windows, and streaming options to clarify when key segments occur and how to access the ceremony regardless of your region.
Official Ceremony Start Time
The 2018 Oscars were scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Sunday, March 4. This timing allowed for a late-February red carpet and prime-time Eastern viewing at 8:00 p.m. The Academy and ABC maintain this standardized schedule across editions to align with broadcaster planning and audience expectations. Note that the live broadcast on ABC typically begins slightly ahead of the red carpet, while the televised ceremony follows the red carpet coverage.
Pacific and Eastern Time Breakdown
| Time Zone | Start Time | Event Segment |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific | 5:00 p.m. | Ceremony start (live) |
| Mountain | 6:00 p.m. | Live |
| Central | 7:00 p.m. | Live |
| Eastern | 8:00 p.m. | Live |
Date and Calendar Context
The 90th Academy Awards took place on Sunday, March 4, 2018, one day after the traditional February finales. By moving to early March, the Academy aimed to reduce conflicts with major franchise releases and avoid clashing with late-calendar events. This scheduling remains useful to reference for pattern recognition in subsequent years, even as exact dates shift within the early March window.
Venue and Location
The ceremony was held at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Los Angeles, which has been the primary venue for the Oscars since 2002. Address: 6801 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. The theater’s seating and technical infrastructure are designed to accommodate live global broadcasts, press, and guests.
Red Carpet and Pre-Show Timing
Red carpet coverage typically began around 3:30 p.m. Pacific, with the full pre-show running approximately 90 minutes before the televised ceremony. Hosts and analysts provided arrivals, interviews, and fashion commentary during this window, leading into the main broadcast at the scheduled 5:00 p.m. Pacific start.
- Red carpet arrivals: ~3:30 p.m. PT
- Pre-show and analysis: 3:30–5:00 p.m. PT
- Ceremony start: 5:00 p.m. PT
Broadcast and Streaming Options
The ceremony aired on ABC in the United States, with simultaneous streams available via Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, and other qualified TV streaming services. Regional blackouts did not apply for the national ABC signal, and the broadcast followed standard prime-time scheduling for the network.
International Viewers
International audiences could watch via local partners and networks; exact local times varied by region. For English-speaking viewers outside the U.S., many regions aligned with either an 8:00 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. equivalent prime-time slot, depending on time zone offset and broadcaster decisions.
FAQ
Reader questions
When did the Oscars begin in 2018?
The 2018 Oscars began at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time (3:30 p.m. PT pre-show) on Sunday, March 4, broadcast live on ABC.
What time was the red carpet in 2018?
The red carpet started around 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time, with the pre-show running until the 5:00 p.m. PT ceremony start.
Did the Oscars air live in all U.S. time zones in 2018?
Yes, ABC broadcast the ceremony live coast-to-coast, with the national feed synchronized to 5:00 p.m. Pacific and 8:00 p.m. Eastern.